THE LOFTCUBE INTERVIEW

In 2007 I interviewed innovative designer, Werner Aisslinger about his striking Loftcube creation for Kudos Magazine.

A VIEW FROM ABOVE

German design has reached an all time high, Rosalind Brabner reports on the new mobile living space which can be attached to your very own roof.

Seductively luxurious and utterly modern the Loftcube is only for people living the high life. A four hundred and twenty foot see through retreat designed to be tucked away upon roof tops is not only unashamedly cool but can boast a similar frame to a London studio.

THE MODERN DAY TREE HOUSE

Designed by German architect Werner Aisslinger, the Loftcube’s unique design was originally intended to fill the spaces of the flat roof tops of the post war high rises in East Berlin. Providing the perfect space for a modern day tree house Aisslinger’s aesthetic and minimalist designs are strictly grown up.

CHARACTER, ASCETICS AND VERSATILITY

Another attractive prospect about the design is its versatility. The customer can be given creative input on the visual aspects of the interior. “The unique, modular system with its flexible components allows us to incorporate the ideas of our clients. Each of the four facades gives the Loftcube an individual aesthetic and functional character. Transparent, translucent coloured panes of glass or closed panels and different shading devices enable the desired amount of light entry and air circulation”. The mobile unit which can be delivered directly to the rooftop by helicopter or dismantled then reassembled was originally only compatible with flat roofs but its popularity has since encouraged award winning designer Aisslinger and his team to work with some very different landscapes from beaches to riverbeds.

MAKING IT FLOAT

One of the design’s biggest achievements is its adaptation into a floating home. Attached to a pontoon on a Lake in Canada, Aisslinger and his building team managed to get round the forest authorities’s disagreement for planning permission by attaching the frame to a floating foundation.

ONLY THE BEST MATERIALS

To achieve such quality in exterior and interior design Aisslinger uses only the best materials, “we value the quality and exclusivity provided by experience partners as well as the use of high quality materials. We have established exclusive partnerships with renowned brands such as Berker, Bulthaup, Dupont and Vitra”. It is not only the quality of the framework that concerns Aisslinger extra efforts are made to create a feeling of total relaxation. The designer pin points a combination of four factors which create the desired affect “spectacular views, light-flooded spaces, cosy warmth and innovative technology”.

HARD GRAFT

Unfortunately the process to accomplish total relaxation involves a lot of hard work. For the Loftcube to be fully functioning with plumbing and heating it must be connected to the building’s utility lines the team has to check the rooftop’s ability to accommodate the extra weight and the cube’s ability to withstand ferocious winds. It’s a very technical process that can take up to four days but considering the Loftcube can last a lifetime it’s worth every second.

A VIEW FROM ABOVE

Ascetically striking and culturally innovative, the Loftcube is an exciting project look set to dominate the flat roof tops of our cities. In the Loftcube Aisslinger has firstly provided a space to work and play, but with the help of the 360 degrees windows it is also the perfect place for the city goer to sit back, relax and appreciate the birds eye view of the manic world beneath them and not to mention to indulge in the romantic spender usually only captured on a balcony in a five star hotel.